Equine World Records Reviewed

The tallest living horse is Big Jake, a Belgian gelding, who measured 20 hands, 2.75 inches, without shoes, at Smokey Hollow Farms in Poynette, Wis., on Jan. 19, 2010.

Photo: Kevin Scott Ramos/Guinness World Records

Each barn has a biggest horse, a smallest horse, a wildest horse, and a quietest horse. But do you know how big the world's tallest horse is? Or how long the longest tail on a pony is? Not to worry: In honor of National Guinness Record Day (today, Nov. 14), TheHorse.com staff has collected a sampling of some of the most interesting horse-related records included in the Guinness Book of World Records.

World's Tallest Horse: Big Jake, standing 82.75" (or just over 20.2 hands)
According to the Guinness website, Big Jake (pictured above) resides in a 20-foot by 20-foot stall and consumes a bale and a half of hay and 40 quarts of oats each day. In a video on his Guinness page, Big Jake's owner, Jerry Gilbert of Smokey Hollow Farm in Poynette, Wis., says that the Belgian draft horse is a "big jokester," likes to play around, and has a very good temperament. Fans can visit Big Jake and his equine friends by making a reservation with Smokey Hollow Farm.

World's Smallest Horse: Thumbelina, standing 17.5" (or just over 4 hands)
Thumbelina is a dwarf Miniature Horse mare born and raised at Goose Creek Farm Inc. in St Louis, Mo., her Guinness page says. According to published interviews with Thumbelina's owners, Kay and Paul Goessling, and her handler, Michael Goessling, the mare weighs less than 60 pounds and will never be bred.

World's Oldest Documented Donkey: Suzy, who lived to be 54 years old
According to Suzy's Guinness page, she was born in 1948 and her last owner, Beth Augusta Menczer of Glenwood, N.M., purchased her in 1973. Suzy lived until 2002.

World's Longest Pony Tail: 13'5" (more than 4 meters) long
Janine Sparks' Shetland Pony Golden Shante, aka “Topper”, holds the record for the world's longest tail on a pony, the pony's Guinness page says. Topper was born in 1993.

World's Largest Horse Parade: 11,125 horses and riders
The largest horse parade took place on Aug. 9, 2013. In it, 11,125 horses and riders from each of the 21 Mongolian provinces gathered in Khui Doloon Khudag, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, for the parade that spanned nearly 2.5 miles, according to the Guinness page. The youngest rider in the parade was just 2 years old, while the oldest was a 90-year-old man. A videographer was on hand to capture the historic parade, and the footage is now available online.

World's Largest Stick Horse Collection: 460 stick horses
According to the Guinness website, Dan Cavanah of Florida, has amassed 460 stick horses since he began collecting them in 1990. According to Cavanah's website, he received his first stick horse as a joke gift, but began collecting at the encouragement of friends and family. He founded the Woodin-stick Horses of America, Inc., (WHOA) and coined the word "whoadeo" to describe for rodeo-styled stick horse. Cavanah is also the author of the stick-horse based children’s book, Tiny Timber Finds a Friend.

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com. Learn More